Holiday Traditions and Perversions

[gracie920101]

Time to tell us those tried and true traditions you keep for the holidays. Even those embarrassing ones that mom made you do every year!

Come on Litsters, do your best!

Or your worst if you prefer?

 

[gracie920101]

My mom made matching felt circle skirts for my older sister and me. They had reindeer and jingle bells on the antlers and we wore miles of crinoline to make the skirts stick out.

We had to stand in front of the 50 or gathered relatives and sing Christmas songs. I still have the pics to prove it. Thank god the home movies didn't have sound then.

 

[gracie920101]

Christmas Eve at our house is spent driving around looking at neighborhood light displays followed by sitting around with a good glass of wine and a cheese plate and shrimp cocktail.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

A sadly missed tradition is selling Christmas Trees. I did it for years as a fundraiser for a youth group. Yeah. I was a Scoutmaster. Me. For years.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

My mom made matching felt circle skirts for my older sister and me. They had reindeer and jingle bells on the antlers and we wore miles of drink line to make the skirts stick out.

We had to stand in front of the 50 or gathered relatives and sing Christmas songs. I still have the pics to prove it. Thank god the home movies didn't have sound then.

Is it good or bad that I know that your autocorrect changed "crinoline" to "drink line" ?

 

[seela]

My favorite traditions are eating rice porridge for breakfast in the morning of Christmas Eve and then having a mug of mulled wine and listening to the declaration of Christmas peace at noon.

As a kid, I’d always go in the forest with my dad after the declaration and leave some carrots and apples for bunnies.

In general Christmas Eve is when we celebrate here.

 

[seela]

My mom made matching felt circle skirts for my older sister and me. They had reindeer and jingle bells on the antlers and we wore miles of drink line to make the skirts stick out.

We had to stand in front of the 50 or gathered relatives and sing Christmas songs. I still have the pics to prove it. Thank god the home movies didn't have sound then.

I didn’t have to wear a specially made skirt, but whenever me and a particular cousin of mine were together at the same Christmas dinner (or any other family gathering, including funerals), we were forced to play the piano and sing for everyone else. I hate performing.

One Christmas I just stood there opening my mouth and my cousin was the only one singing. She nudged me so hard and so many times, but I just kept on lip syncing instead of singing. And there’s video, or at least was. I’m hopeful the evidence has been lost in a move… It was the last time I was forced to sing. I was forced to perform other musical numbers a few times after that, but at least no more singing.

 

[IrisAlthea]

My dad brought with him the tradition to sing to the Chrismas tree. Oh Tannenbaum of course, both versions, but other Christmas songs too. My mother and I usually sing Ett barn är fött (a Swedish version of From heaven above to earth I come) in parts. The rest of the songs we sing together, some in German, some in Swedish.
When I was a kid my parents kept the Austrian tradition that Baby Jesus brings the tree and the presents. A bell would jingle in the closed living room and we would open the door and there it would be.
We put our tree up mid december, but we kept the singing on Christmas Eve.

 

[gracie920101]

Is it good or bad that I know that your autocorrect changed "crinoline" to "drink line" ?

Oh haha haha! That may have something to do with a recent birthday announcement.

But duck it all, I missed it. Thanks, I'll fix it now.

 

[gracie920101]

For years, I would spend up to 12 hours each weekend day baking and making candy for the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. I would provide my coworkers with tins of a dozen different cookies and candies as gifts.

My speciality was a version of homemade peanut butter cups which people would actually try to steal from each other. They were so easy to make but now everyone has so many dietary restrictions, that it's hard to gift foods.

My kitchen is way too small in my current home to do this and none of my coworkers eat sweets so all that has gone by the wayside.

Sometimes I miss doing it all but I have quartered my recipe for peanut butter balls and still make a couple of dozen just for my two neighbors.

 

[twister947]

For years, I would spend up to 12 hours each weekend day baking and making candy for the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. I would provide my coworkers with tins of a dozen different cookies and candies as gifts.

My speciality was a version of homemade peanut butter cups which people would actually try to steal from each other. They were so easy to make but now everyone has so many dietary restrictions, that it's hard to gift foods.

My kitchen is way too small in my current home to do this and none of my coworkers eat sweets so all that has gone by the wayside.

Sometimes I miss doing it all but I have quartered my recipe for peanut butter balls and still make a couple of dozen just for my two neighbors.

GOOD NEWS! I eat sweets!

 

[IrisAlthea]

For years, I would spend up to 12 hours each weekend day baking and making candy for the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. I would provide my coworkers with tins of a dozen different cookies and candies as gifts.

My speciality was a version of homemade peanut butter cups which people would actually try to steal from each other. They were so easy to make but now everyone has so many dietary restrictions, that it's hard to gift foods.

My kitchen is way too small in my current home to do this and none of my coworkers eat sweets so all that has gone by the wayside.

Sometimes I miss doing it all but I have quartered my recipe for peanut butter balls and still make a couple of dozen just for my two neighbors.

Oh, peanut buttercups! That’s a perfectly understandable reason for stealing.

My aunt used to love baking and cooking for Christmas. When I was little she used to take a few days off and I’d stay at her house and ”help” her.
When I was a teenager a couple of friends and I used to get together and make candy.
And since we were talking of branding, I still have a mark on my arm where one of them accidentally spilled boiling caramel.

 

[seela]

Since J’s mom passed away this year, the Christmas meal prep has somehow fallen onto me and J. Should be interesting, as neither of us have ever made any of the usual Christmas foods before.

It’s also become a tradition that I bake cookies for J’s grandfather, but I don’t have any set type of cookie that I always make. He really likes “spoon cookies” and I was planning on making them this year for him, but they are quite a lot of work, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to make them because I don’t have days off on the Christmas week. I’ll figure out a plan B.

 

[seela]

No they're not Löffelbiskuits.

They're very crumbly and tasty biscuits made with burnt butter. You have to shape them with a spoon by compressing the dough really well into the spoon, hence the name. Then you stick two together with some raspberry jam and roll in caster sugar.

Here's a pic.

I think this is such a basic thing that it probably exists all over the world, I just don't know the name. We just call them spoon cookies. Well, literally spoon bread, but whatever.

My mom has the best little spoon for shaping these. I'm willing to fight my siblings to get it as my inheritance.

 

[IrisAlthea]

I'm willing to fight my siblings to get it as my inheritance.

These things are serious business!

His sister got the iron to make struvor with, when his parents felt to old to make any. She doesn’t even like struvor! *grumbles*

I think struvor are called rosettes in other languages and sruvor in Finland are something else.
Picture for clarity:

 

[Scareltt]

I also like to bake for my friends and coworkers..

For years, I would spend up to 12 hours each weekend day baking and making candy for the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. I would provide my coworkers with tins of a dozen different cookies and candies as gifts.

My speciality was a version of homemade peanut butter cups which people would actually try to steal from each other. They were so easy to make but now everyone has so many dietary restrictions, that it's hard to gift foods.

My kitchen is way too small in my current home to do this and none of my coworkers eat sweets so all that has gone by the wayside.

Sometimes I miss doing it all but I have quartered my recipe for peanut butter balls and still make a couple of dozen just for my two neighbors.

I feel the same way about baking. I’ll spend hours during the week and on weekends baking. I’ve never tried to make peanut butter cups, maybe this year. My speciality’s are Nutella and chocolate chip. Peanut butter and chocolate chip, I also do a white chocolate cookie with pretzels.

Happy holidays..

 

[seela]

These things are serious business!

His sister got the iron to make struvor with, when his parents felt to old to make any. She doesn’t even like struvor! *grumbles*

I think struvor are called rosettes in other languages and sruvor in Finland are something else.
Picture for clarity:

Ah, yes. These are rosetti in Finnish. I associate them more with May Day and other spring time celebrations rather than Christmas, though. What we call struvor here are also a May Day thing.


We have a long weekend coming up and all this talk about making candies got me thinking that I should probably dedicate a part of that to making marmalade jelly candies. I also want to bake so badly now.

Last weekend J and I made puff pastry and plum marmalade pastries, which are also a Christmas thing. J usually doesn’t like to bake, but this is something he usually joins doing.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Seela originaly suggested recipes in a Christmas Thread. Here are my favourite recipes. Sadly the French 44 should have been started a few weeks ago...


My Famous Rum Cream


1 can Eagle Brand or similar thick, sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Dark Rum (I use Appleton’s or El Dorado)
1/2 cup Espresso, cooled
2 Eggs
1 cup Whipping Cream
1-1/2 TBS Chocolate Syrup (see below)
1/4 TSP Almond Extract
Warm the Eagle Brand in hot water for a few minutes to help get it out of
the can. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. NOTE: It is
easier if you add the Eagle Brand last. Keeps 3-4 weeks in the fridge
(depends on the eggs).


Chocolate Syrup

1 cup Cocoa Powder
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1 dash of salt
1-1/2 cups water
1 TSP Vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in a pot and slowly bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring
constantly. Boil 2-4 minutes until it begins to thicken. Fill a Mason jar and
place in the fridge once it cools. (Must be refrigerated).


NOTE: The Rum Cream can also be made by substituting “French 44” for rum:

French 44

One large orange
44 coffee beans
44 sugar cubes (equals 44 teaspoons or about 1 cup less 4 teaspoons)
1-liter (4 cups)Vodka*

With a sharp knife, make 44 slits through the skin of the orange, and place a
whole coffee bean in each. Put the sugar and vodka in a large jar (about 2
liters / 2 US quarts). Stir. The sugar will not all dissolve right away. Don’t
worry. Place the orange in carefully (watch for splashing). Seal the jar.
Agitate the jar every day for 44 days. The sugar will eventually dissolve, and
the coffee and orange will flavor the liquor. After 44 days, filter it with a coffee filter in a strainer.


*I use Over-proof Vodka, 45% ABV. It doesn’t have to be great Vodka.
DO NOT use Everclear or similar very high proof alcohol. It will leach out too
much orange oil and make a cloudy yellow beverage that tastes bad and looks
like Tang.

 

[seela]

Ooh, thank you TAN!

I’ll put your famous rum cream on the list of things to try!

 

[IrisAlthea]

Seela originaly suggested recipes in a Christmas Thread. Here are my favourite recipes. Sadly the French 44 should have been started a few weeks ago...


My Famous Rum Cream


1 can Eagle Brand or similar thick, sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Dark Rum (I use Appleton’s or El Dorado)
1/2 cup Espresso, cooled
2 Eggs
1 cup Whipping Cream
1-1/2 TBS Chocolate Syrup (see below)
1/4 TSP Almond Extract
Warm the Eagle Brand in hot water for a few minutes to help get it out of
the can. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. NOTE: It is
easier if you add the Eagle Brand last. Keeps 3-4 weeks in the fridge
(depends on the eggs).


Chocolate Syrup

1 cup Cocoa Powder
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1 dash of salt
1-1/2 cups water
1 TSP Vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in a pot and slowly bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring
constantly. Boil 2-4 minutes until it begins to thicken. Fill a Mason jar and
place in the fridge once it cools. (Must be refrigerated).


NOTE: The Rum Cream can also be made by substituting “French 44” for rum:

French 44

One large orange
44 coffee beans
44 sugar cubes (equals 44 teaspoons or about 1 cup less 4 teaspoons)
1-liter (4 cups)Vodka*

With a sharp knife, make 44 slits through the skin of the orange, and place a
whole coffee bean in each. Put the sugar and vodka in a large jar (about 2
liters / 2 US quarts). Stir. The sugar will not all dissolve right away. Don’t
worry. Place the orange in carefully (watch for splashing). Seal the jar.
Agitate the jar every day for 44 days. The sugar will eventually dissolve, and
the coffee and orange will flavor the liquor. After 44 days, filter it with a coffee filter in a strainer.


*I use Over-proof Vodka, 45% ABV. It doesn’t have to be great Vodka.
DO NOT use Everclear or similar very high proof alcohol. It will leach out too
much orange oil and make a cloudy yellow beverage that tastes bad and looks
like Tang.

We make more or less the same chocolate syrup.

We make Christmas Schnaps with vodka infused with cloves, cardamom, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange zest.
Sometimes we do one with vanilla bean, sugar and lemon zest. It’s not that Christmasy to me though.

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Warning: extreme perversion ahead. Some may be offended, but it is in keeping with the Season.

On Christmas mornings we open our stockings first thing. It placates the "kids".

After, we pause for breakfast. By tradition we have Eggs Benedict. (Packaged Hollendaise Sauce; I'm not Gordon Ramsey).

It is served on a plate made of high-chromium stainless steel, because, as the Christmas song says:












There's no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise...

Report me to TPH if you must. But I am going to link this to the "Puns" thread...

 

[Wild_Honey_66]

*happy clapping*



I'm glad I came for a visit this weekend!

 

[TANSTAAFL58]

Stay for a while...there are cookies

 

[gracie920101]

*happy clapping*



I'm glad I came for a visit this weekend!

Awww, Honey, we're always happy to see you, too!

 

[gracie920101]

Stay for a while...there are cookies

And rum cream!